China! My Native Land

October 1980

中文

"When a man falters in his pursuit of the ideal of his life, his soul is dead." These are the words of the famous writer, Chung Li-ho, who spent his life struggling for his love, his health and his career as a great writer.

"China, my native land," is the title of a film based on Chung's autobiography, directed by Lee Hsin. Born in Taiwan in 1915 when the island was occupied by the Japanese, Chung became captivated by Chinese classical literature during his high school years. In the time he could spare from his studies, he would go home to help out on the family farm. It was during one of these trips that he met and fell in love with Chung Tai-mei, a girl farm worker. Their love was forbidden, however, in the conservative Hakka society to which they belonged, because they had the same surname.

In protest over this unfair prejudice, Chung Li-ho left home to attend schools in Shengyang in northeastern China. Two years later, equipped with a professional skill, he returned to Taiwan and eloped with Tai-mei.

Before he started to make the film, Lee Hsin, winner of last year's Kinma award for best director, perused all Chung's literary works and spent three months discussing the details with Chung's widow and children. With their consent and assistance, the script was finally completed.

The story unfolds with the couple traveling from sub-tropical Taiwan to the snow-covered fields of Shengyang. To make his living, Li-ho at first worked as a driver and translator, but soon quit to take up his true love--writing.

To re-create the scenery of northern China, Lee Hsin took a 35-member shooting group to south Korea where they had to work in 30 below zero temperatures. The success of the mission made the effort worthwhile, however.

The Chungs moved to Peiping and opened a store selling charcoal and buns in 1941. Despite their poverty, which force Tai-mei to take on all sorts of odd jobs to feed the family, the couple continued to enjoy a blissful marriage.

Li-ho dedicated his first novel, entitled "The Oleander," to his father, who died soon after it was completed.

When Taiwan was recovered from the Japanese on V-J Day in 1946, the Chungs moved back to Meinung in Taiwan, only to discover that his once wealthy family had fallen on hard times. Overworked and under-nourished, Li-ho contracted tuberculosis and had to quit his job as a teacher.

Lee Hsin put in strenuous efforts to re-create the old house the Chungs lived in. He had to remodel the house of one of Chung's friend, and planted a vegetable garden and coconut palms to make the scene more realistic.

In 1947, Li-ho's condition worsened, and he was sent to a hospital in Taipei. At that time, tuberculosis was uncurable. Before he underwent surgery, Li-ho left a farewell letter to his wife. He said: "My love, I hope you will never read this letter. Since the day we pledged our love, we were cursed. For years we have been tortured by a forbidden love. We have fought back and never yielded for nine long years. It is only because I love you so dearly, that I want to live in spite of my illness and all my tribulations. It is also because of your love that I decided to have the operation in spite of the risks involved. Our body has been worn out and our soul is bleeding. There is nothing left but our care and love for each other."

Miraculously, Li-ho survived. But in the following three years he spent in hospital, he has been constantly haunted by the thought of his inability to support his wife and children. He eventually returned home without seven of his ribs which had been removed in the operation. The love he received from his family was the only antidote for his weakness.

Although he was bedridden, he never stopped writing. He recalled the predicament of his family: "Our residence was originally a banana drying factory. The two living rooms are screened by planks, and the kitchen is in the corridor. I don't have my own study, let alone a desk to write on. When the sun shines through the papaya trees in the courtyard, I move my rattan chair, a small stool for my papers, and the board which serves as my table. I have to inch every half an hour to keep pace with the moving of the sunlight."

In writing the story of his life, Li-ho recaptured the mood of his home town and his age despite all the inconveniences and difficulties he faced. His trials would have tested the patience of Job. His articles were rejected repeatedly, and he could only watch helplessly as his wife was pursued by police for illegally felling trees to sell in the market. To add to the suffering, Li-ho lost his second son, and his eldest son had become deformed through malnutrition.

Though he was coughing up blood, he kept on writing, because he was conscious of the Bible's admonition: "As ye sow, so shall ye reap." At last, his articles were accepted by the United Daily News. His genius was recognized when his novel, Lishan Farm, won second prize in the China Literary Award Contest in 1956. The first thing Li-ho wanted to do was to share his glory and ecstasy with his wife. He died in August 1960 while revising his novel Rain at the age of 45.

Before he died, he said: "Burn all my works, as there should be no more writers in the Chung family." He didn't want his sons to suffer as he had done. But his eldest son, Chung Tieh-ming, decided to collect all the works into an anthology. Through the assistance of such leading novelists as Chang Liang-che and Chung Chao-cheng, his son's ideal was realized. The Collection of Chung Li-ho was published in 1976.

"I like his simple and original style. Li-ho never blames God or man for his sufferings. He must be ranked as one of the best writers in the modern literary history of China," said local author Chen Huo-chuan.

Today, Chung's family still lives in Meinung, where as Li-ho said: "The sky, clouds and mountains are reflected in the water of the paddy fields." Li-ho's wife said that she was afraid to see the movie, because "the actors' performance are so good that I will cry all the way through."

In July 1979, Chung Tieh-ming donated his last piece of land to allow the construction of a museum of modern Chinese literature to commemorate the achievements of his father. With support from leading local novelists, a sum of NT$500,000 (US$14,000) has been collected. Tieh-ming plans to raise more funds by establishing a foundation.

"If the public can benefit from the museum, all my father's sufferings will have been worthwhile," he said.

[Picture Caption]

1. "China, my native land" is a film based on the story of Chung Li-ho, one of the leading writers in Taiwan. 2. A snow scene from northeast China in which Chung Li-ho (acted by Chin Han) and Chung Tai-mei (acted by Lin Feng-chiao) are seen enjoying themselves together. 3. Lin Feng-chiao, the winner of the Kinma award for best actress last year, puts in a superb performance in the movie.

1. Chung Tieh-ming brings home the good news of his father's winning second prize in the China literary awards contest. 2. Li-ho's wife and two sons see him off as he goes to receive medical treatment at a hospital in Taipei. 3. Li-ho and his daughter send food and tea for his wife, who has to do odd jobs to earn a living for the family. 4. Actress Lin shown being pursued by police for illegally felling timber to sell in the market. 5. The stream reflects the sufferings of Chung Tai-mei. 6. Besides writing, Li-ho has to take care of the children. 7. The two remain in love despite their poverty.

1-3. Beautiful scenery at Li-ho's hometown in Chienshan, Meinung. 4. The rattan chair in which Li-ho sat to write most of his master-pieces. 5. A new concrete bungalow has replaced the old home of Li-ho, which was originally a banana drying factory.

1. The site of the Memorial Hall in Li-ho's honor. 2. Film workers crew. Standing at extreme left is Lee Hsin, winner of last year's best director award. 3. Lin practicing the action of hoeing. 4. The real Tai-mei and the actor who plays her role. 5. Lin and Li-ho's daughter. 6. Chung Tai-mei showing actors how to comb their hair in the old style.

1. The lobby of Chung Tieh-ming's home is clean and neat, and decorated with a portrait of Li-ho. 2. Though living standards have improved, Tai-mei still helps to do farm chores in the papaya field. 3. Tai-mei and her granddaughter. 4. Tai-mei and Tieh-ming.